Chance of Rain Chapter 8: No Land Beyond, a bleach fanfic

The sound of a fist reacquainting with a skull echoed throughout the ward.

"It's not Toshiro, it's Katsura—" Another smack, "as if! Did falling prey to such an abused fanfiction trope fry your useless vegetable brain?! This was my big reveal and you ruined it!"

Now that Ichigo had retreated, busying himself by brandishing Hikaru as either a human shield or a weapon — he couldn't be sure — Renji spoke next. "His mistake, he was just going off of your heigh—"

THWACK*

"And you never had a brain to fry!"

Before she could build any more momentum for the tirade the three knew was coming, a host of frantic movements caught her attention. Turning her attention to the source, Ichigo, who was still hiding behind the unknown individual. Immediately, Rukia swallowed her tongue with a short shriek of surprise. Ichigo, chuckling, patted the bemused Hikaru on the head — who waved awkwardly — before he began moving the conversation along.

"Ogidō mentioned earlier he planned to introduce us to the rest of the team over a meal before we prepared to leave. Since we're new to the facility, think you could show us to the cafeteria?"

Rukia sighed, acceptance wearing on her features. "Follow me you three."

- Ogidō

Ogidō strolled down the hallway towards the cafeteria, hands in pockets. Prior, complete with a small sigh of exasperation, he'd sent a quick prayer that the students had remained in the room rather than try and find their way to an unknowable setting without his intervention. His eyebrows shot off his head when he'd returned to find an empty room, but he'd quickly collected himself; Harunobu Ogidō was an individual above wearing his [rampant] emotions. Given the idiosyncrasies his pet pupils had so far demonstrated, he shouldn't have been surprised they'd wandered off again. Once he'd come to terms with the fact that they couldn't possibly stumble on anything worse than they already had, Ogidō, cursing the god that ignored his original prayer, tried his luck with another. 'They'd better be sitting pretty in the mess', and slowly began his green mile.

The lonesome stroll was proving advantageous, providing him time to mentally prepare himself for the swarm of bullshit he knew would fly his way the moment he entered. The background transitioned from hallways to clearing as he grew ever closer to the locale where his fate resided. Mentally steeled and ready for anything, he brushed aside the entrance and strolled in. Pleasantly, he noted the students sitting casually on one side of a long table with the members of the away team. Pausing briefly to restructure his polytheistic power rankings, he departed the foyer in their direction. To his unpleasant surprise, a pair of kunai cut through the relatively still air.

Tilting his head to admit the objects passage beyond his cranium, he paled and briefly turned to look at the wall. 'Utensils' he corrected himself. With that settled, he spoke knowing he already had their attention. "I'm pleased you've all acquainted yourselves."

The second shortest one raised her hand. "We haven't said a word yet, Sir!"

Willing his growing irritation to take a backseat, he took the open seat opposite the students. "Well, at the very least I'm pleased you three managed to find your way here… or maybe I should just thank Rukia and get to the point."

Without waiting for a response, he gestured to the second shortest one. "Mashiro Kuna; always wears scarves despite feeling like they strangle her."

The woman gave a wide smile, her red scarf complementing her carefully rampant green bob as she nodded approvingly. "When Kensei needs a 'pick-me-up', he sends me Ogidō's way!"

One muffled "bastard" later, Ogidō gestured to the third shortest one, "Yuzuki Hirano; recently discovered Ragtime. She prefers Buddy Bolden and Joe Oliver to Jelly Roll Morton — finds the latter vexing."

Ichigo suppressed his flinch before speaking up. "You must be from the Fifth Division."

This one's pulled her brown hair back into a simple ponytail, allowing the rest of it to fall forward and frame her similarly brown eyes. Her raised eyebrow pulled at her noticeably fair skin. "How'd you know?"

Ichigo chuckled disarmingly. "Just a hunch."

Now, Ogidō came to the fourth shortest one. "Niko Nishimura; believes cocktails taste best at sunset. Greyhounds are her newest fad."

Her downy hair was twisted and pulled into an updo with the aid of side cornrows adorned with gold cuffs. As if confirming they were still in place, her non-dominant hand raised to said cuffs. The action revealed a similarly gold wristwatch shining stark against her warm umber skin, which then tightened as she turned to scowl at Ogidō. "I enjoy many things besides alcohol — yourself excluded."

Ignoring the aside, Ogidō turned to the final member. "It seems you've already met Rukia. She's relatively new here, and a bit of a unique case, but she handles herself well. With a few recommendations and a spot of luck, she'll be joining you in an advanced curriculum at the start of the next term at Shin'ō."

Rukia nodded silently, satisfied with her introduction.

With that out of the way, Ogidō turned to the students with a prompting nod.

Ichigo nodded back. "Ichigo Kurosaki; While I do like Jazz, I prefer up-tempo drumbeats and three-part vocal harmonies… something like Bad Religion."

"Strawberries are my favorite!" Yuzuki's hand connected with the back of Mashiro's head, leaving her mumbling about 'berries' and 'staccato'.

"… also, my name means 'he who protects'."

Renji sighed somewhat humorously before moving the topic along. "Renji Abarai; I stimulate my brain with journalism and otherwise with futsal."

"Futsal?"

Renji nodded. "Soccer played on a small, hard court. It's faster paced with an emphasis on creativity."

He failed to notice he received a fair amount of interested attention. Mashiro lacked the tact to avoid commenting on something unrelated. "Pineapples only flower once, huh..."

With that, came the final introduction. "Hikaru Kurami; dark chocolate is my favorite, but I can't stand the taste after a sip of water."

With that out of the way, Ogidō turned to the one bedazzled member. "Niko, do you have the time?"

This elicited a surprisingly venomous response. "You know well and good that I do not."

Ogidō glanced around at the sufficiently discomfited table. "Icebreakers, check. Food, check. Assuming you're all prepared, we move out at the established time. Dismissed."

Quickly, only Ogidō and the students occupied the table. With the quartet out of earshot, Hikaru spoke for the group. "Ogidō, if you don't mind me asking, Nishimura seems rather at odds with you."

"You noticed, did you?"

"I'm not deaf."

"She hasn't quite taken to some of the missions I've been assigning to her squad. Recently she's seen a lot of the same looks. Likely, she feels the difficulty is beneath her, but that has more to do with the addition of Rukia. She's still getting acclimated, and we can't risk throwing her into the deep end."

Ignoring Renji's scoff, Hikaru continued. "Does she feel like you're actively inhibiting a promotion?"

"That may be part of it — she's certainly of the ambitious sort."

- No Land Beyond

Hikaru made an absent comment about the nearly full moon, noting its clarity when it peeked above the treetops, as they reached their intended destination: a small clearing that lay a short walk from a remote Rukongai village.

Niko quickly began delegating responsibilities, already walking off toward a path through the forest. "Rukia, Mashiro, and Ogidō will stay here and set up camp. Yuzuki, bring that bag and the students; follow me into town. We've got a meeting scheduled with the village council."

Yuzuki raised an eyebrow at the inclusion of the students. Chalking it up to 'exposure', she refrained from commenting. Questioning the decisions of her superior over something trivial was tasteless.

Such a sentiment never crossed Ichigo's mind. "Why leave Ogidō behind? He's the authority out here, right?"

Renji shot him a look. "This is Nishimura's mission. It would be ill-fitting for Ogidō, who is only here on a technicality, to assume command. He's not careless enough to pull something like that."

Niko blinked at the student's logic — surprised that the first year understood such nuances. In response, she only nodded in affirmation before changing the topic. Now walking single file through the densest part of the path, she had to look over her shoulder to ensure she was heard. "I assume you all know why we're here, correct?"

Upon receiving blank stares, she couldn't help but face palm. "Why did I leave anything up to that careless idiot."

She began again. "The most recent data drop has shown an abnormally high rate of missing souls in this sector. A little head scratching revealed the trend centered around this village. Given how far away we are from any densely populated Rukongai areas, we hypothesize Hollows. For cases like this, one of the first on site checks always runs through the village council."

Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "I can't imagine these councils enjoy your visits."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "I'd forgotten you're all from outer Rukongai. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done about whether they like it or not. We've got a job to do. Fortunately, they normally respect that enough to not shoot the messenger."

They walked in silence until the brush parted to reveal a much larger clearing. The structures and miscellaneous tents were a far cry from what even Renji and Hikaru grew up around.

Renji huffed. "Man, talk about the boonies."

Hikaru nodded. "I've never been out this far. It feels like the frontier from old stories."

Using her newfound spatial freedom, Yuzuki came up beside them. "That's because this is the frontier. This world stretches far and wide; the urban sprawl of the Rukongai only reaches so far — what lies beyond is largely uncharted. Mapping it often falls on subsections of the Patrol Corps, but the away parties follow comparable practices. Although, that's mostly done on a need-to-know basis anyway, and let's just say the Central 46 mostly doesn't feel the need to know."

"Anyway," she continued, "now that we're here, try not to say much and leave the talking to Nishimura. You're here as observers."

"What about you?"

"Consider myself much the same. Although, in this case," her normally impartial expression pulled up into a grin, "perhaps 'babysitter' would be more appropriate."

Ichigo and Renji blanched.

As they walked further into town, Hikaru acknowledged the gathering crowd. Making eye contact with a dark-haired man, he found it hard to ignore his distinctive eyes and facial features. A splash of ink rested comfortably beneath his left eye, and Hikaru could only speculate on its symbolism among the local population. Shaking free of that line of thought, Hikaru turned back to Niko. "Do you think this is too large a group for an investigation?"

"If you're worried about being perceived as a 'show of force', don't worry. The rabble might assume as much, but the council will recognize the Shin'ō uniforms."

With that discussion behind them, the group had cleared the bustling "downtown" area. The aforementioned five descended stairs surrounded by an amphitheater that had been dug into the hillside, halting at the base to stand before a group of six individuals. Behind them, a tall structure with intricate carvings framed their appearance. An equivalent number of pillars supported the arch that ornamented the apex of the design. The members basked in the silver light that shone between the pillars — their heights implicating the hierarchy. The silky source of light climbed towards the notable, circular blank at the apex of the wooden backdrop.

With the moonrise so close to the structure, the symbolism was heavy-handed, but it was clearly an imperfect fit. Remembering his promise, Ichigo bit back any comment, and filed away the thought. From there, four held back as Niko stepped into the spotlight, but her voice did not ring out first.

"To think you'd find your way back again so soon." With their faces wreathed in moonlit shadows, only the condescension inflected in his tone was open to interpretation. None missed the intwined tint of familiarity. "You've brought friends."

"Students from the academy — mere observers."

Hikaru could feel the attention boring into him, focusing as though cast through a prism. "The crows have begun growing them young, I should expect no less."

Hikaru stood unmoved and silent.

Niko continued. "Our business here pertains to the souls disappearing in the surrounding area. Any information, even rumors, you can provide will be an asset."

The same voice responded. "What will you do should you receive the answer? If there is war, you will not quell it. If there is disease, you will not cure it. If there is famine, you will not fix it. Such is the policy of the crows, who bring and leave only death."

Silence reigned in the face of reality. Everyone excluding Ichigo knew this to be true, but he, again, kept to his word and held his tongue. It was a few heartbeats before a different speaker began anew.

"As you are aware, villages so removed from the Rukongai lack many of the supply lines for clean water and fresh food. There are many throughout Rukongai that exhibit a semblance of spiritual power but lack the ability, opportunity, or desire to become Soul Reapers, but that does not mean we lack their basic needs."

Confirming there would be no interruption, she continued. "We thrive on a hunter/gatherer lifestyle that often conflicts with other villages. Naturally, that lifestyle can be dangerous, particularly so for the hunters. It is possible you are seeing a consequence of that."

A new voice followed up. "Illness and endemic follow a similar narrative. The lack of adequate supplies often results in a much higher death rate than in the affluent districts."

Niko narrowed her eyes. "Our reports show this is outside the norm of what we usually track. Have any notable sicknesses befallen your people?"

"The village people are, relatively speaking, healthy — our lack of supplies leaves us susceptible, but we remain within expectations."

"Something is out of the ordinary, and it would be beneficial if you were forthright."

The atmosphere of the amphitheater rolled its eyes with the man, though it was impossible to confirm in such a setting. "Expanding on what I said earlier, novel illnesses ebb and flow as you would expect when treatment comes at a premium."

Niko needed more. "I'm not here to discuss sector politics. Abnormality, on the other hand, is within my desktop responsibilities."

This elicited a sigh, exasperation the core ingredient in its recipe. "Transparency with the Shinigami is our prerogative. Please do not misunderstand. If I may reiterate, novel illnesses strike frequently. While our general health is hardly steady state during this cycle, we are not experiencing a widespread issue."

Niko digested the statement, practically annoyed with the ease with which he floated such a discussion. "Allow me to express my condolences, as well as my admiration for appropriately containing the outbreak. Such a disruption usually spreads, and our data only points to the immediate surroundings of this location."

"We have received confirmation from other local villages. Although, as the more densely populated epicenter, our bordering councils have been able to take prompt action — I'd be remiss if I said they were less prepared."

Niko nodded in acquiescence, deciding not to pursue the inevitably circular topic. "You mentioned a shortage of supplies for those of need… potable water?"

"Strictly speaking, we lack not only the faculties but the general supplies as well; however, fortunately fermentation opened certain avenues." He practically chuckled. Niko was losing her patience. The act sounded like he was listening to the shrieks of puppies being flayed with sandpaper. "Our taverns fare rather well."

In her head, the rhythmic ticking of a familiar sozu focused in Niko's mind's eye; thinly veiled satisfaction was the worst kind. "It is wonderful you have found solutions in the face of such adversity."

Practically choking on her personal opinions of the value of candor, she changed the subject. "Have your parties come into sustained contact with other villages? Perhaps perpetuating disease, or, more substantially, organized conflict?"

Once again, a new voice took over. "Fewer hunting parties are returning, but there have been no reports of organized conflict."

"Why are fewer hunting parties returning?"

The man's body language straightened, like he'd written the question himself. "Tensions have grown with the knowledge of the sickness. As much as we'd like to demonstrate our control over such an issue, we believe escalation will only deepen divides we'd rather leave as they are. The ties between frontier villages are intrinsic and beneficial, we will not sacrifice what few advantages we have due to prejudice. Our cause aligns, and we intend to preserve that cause for our own sake as well as theirs."

"It is in your best interest to preserve mutual beneficiaries. In the interest of transparency, I request we be enlightened to such advantages."

Niko had more or less called check. As she had suspected, an outside influence was dictating policy and pacifying sectors constantly warring for crucial natural resources. Not only was this worrying in its own right, but it also made their outlier that much more significant. 'What the hell is going on here?'

The original spokesperson began again, his tone carried a hint of finality. "Niko, surely you understand the principles of comparative advantage. We are merely exercising the plausibility of possibility. Trade is a fundamental building block of successful society. From such a perspective, we hope to create a community that is, in some way, sufficient enough to raise our quality of life. Such a goal is practically tangible compared to the popular dismissal of our exclusion from the Seireitei-acknowledged districts of Rukon."

Recognizing a red board for what it was, Niko practically bit her tongue to rock the retort that threatened to run eight through said board. "Your cooperation is appreciated."

Niko dipped her head before turning on her heel and walking through her companions. "Let's go."

Quickly out of earshot, Ichigo couldn't help but make known his misgivings about the processions that had occurred. "Nishimura, forgive me if I'm out of line, but I can't imagine any of that was constructive. It seemed like they were belittling you."

Niko sighed. "Candidly, they were belittling me. However, it's outside my responsibilities to raise such concerns to the council. The procession here was not a negotiation; I cannot sour what little relationship we have. We're just going to have to take what they've given us and try to draw meaningful conclusions."

Ichigo's brow raised. "Ok, but it's not like we'll be taking the easy road… more like the rainbow road."

The severity of her tone faded with Ichigo's. "The only thing left for us is to do some hands-on research, and I think you three are the perfect candidates."

Renji spoke before Ichigo could say something dumb. "Just because we're originally from outer Rukongai doesn't mean these people will open up to us."

"Perhaps, but perhaps not… that's why I brought these!" Jazz hands resurfaced in full force, Niko turned expectantly to Yuzuki, who immediately appeared to reevaluate all her life choices.

Suppressing the unprofessional twitch of her eye, she held out the bag she'd lugged thus far. She'd take the small victory of not having to explain their purpose. "These."

Ichigo was pissed. Renji was annoyed. Hikaru was confused.

"What the hell are these?" / "These are a waste of time" / "Why did you hand me these?"

Niko seemed beyond pleased. "These are my brilliant idea. You three are unknown faces and from outer Rukongai. I figure you can use these to blend in some, kiss some ass, and glean some information! Kurami… I really thought you were a girl when Ogidō gave us your names."

"Shame you didn't dress Ichigo in a similar fashion…"

"So you really do have a mouth on you, huh?!"

"I grabbed some of Ogidō's hair extensions last minute. The brown is close enough."

The now ashen faced academy student accepted the offer like she had poisoned it, reiterating mildly, "close enough?".

"Now," Niko began emphatically, her index finger flashing out towards the vast horizon — alight with the possibility of a better future, "journey to the village pub, shmooz some women… men… and bring me the information I desire!"

"This is the dumbest crap I've ever heard!" / "Finally, something Hikaru's good at." / "Your hairline won't make the comeback you think it will, Renji!"

"You've made an enemy of both of us, Hikaru!"

- Change

Laughter.

"Shut UP!"

"Thank god you're undersized for your position, Hikaru. If you were any taller, you might be less impressive — even a desperate man would run."

"Is there a book signing today? Getting in with the politicians is off limits."

Niko walked in, effectively shutting down the banter.

"Play nice, you three. The hour is…" she took a moment of habit to glance at her watch, then the sky, "late, so here's some whiskey from Ogidō's personal reserve to start on the right foot. Lord knows this is the best crap that'll touch your tongue tonight."

"He's gonna miss this, isn't he?" / "This is whisky." / "Even I've heard of Lagavulin."

Renji shrugged and raised his glass. "To our wolf pack that has grown by one. Tonight, I make a toas—"

"No, you don't… god why did I show you that."

Renji downed it, without remorse, and shrugged. "Let's go, reverse hombre."

- Change

"Renji… alcohol… now."

Taking the "hint", Renji slid over to the tavern teller. "Yo, Shinsuke."

To Hikaru's horror, the vacancy vacuum sucked in a seemingly pitiable man who appeared consumed by the weight of himself — he always had taken gravity for granted. In Hikaru's objective assessment, the man cut a slim figure in his garb; his dark hair was neatly side parted, and his blue eyes clear — shining straight ahead, but it was the ink comfortably resting below his left eye that captured Hikaru's attention: a strange, jutting geometric pattern that framed a notable sideways diamond.

"Pardon the Interruption." His announcement was relatively quiet. "Welcome, boys and girls. It's a full house tonight, and I really need a drink."

"That's it?" Hikaru cooled off quickly. "What're you drinking?"

"Whatever the barkeep's got a lot of."

"Now you're speaking my language. Something eating at you?" He fell into an organic pattern, almost forgetting to raise his vocal pitch. "A willing stranger is an ideal backboard."

"Can't fault you there. Allow me to talk; allow me to buy."

Hikaru felt his pockets. "I'm all ears."

The newcomer began despite an emphatic Renji occupying the bartender. Apparently, the man had misconstrued "to e or not to e" when Renji had requested whisk(e)y.

"I'm glad you're a shoobie. The local festival begins tomorrow. Consequently, the pubs are a total shitshow tonight as family and loved ones gather in honor. Much like any other night, tonight, alcohol is all that they have."

"You're here in celebration?"

The man sighed. "I suppose the vigil presents a certain… interlude that could be for celebration. Unfortunately, I don't have the fortitude for such a thing."

Hikaru had no idea what string the man was pulling on, he just hoped he could skate by on context clues and hotels dot com responses. "You're afraid?"

"That I am. It's an insurmountable trial to behold, and it's rare something comes my way that I can't grab by the horns. Such is parenthood, I guess."

Hikaru spoke his mind. "You are incredibly well spoken for these parts."

"You have quite the ear for these parts. As a father and a teacher, I can only do my best."

"What does the teacher have to say about all this?"

"You also ask difficult questions for these parts." The man sighed before continuing. "Admittedly, my response would be same if you'd asked the father... although perhaps less verbose. It feels superficial, transient, and gratuitous. It's a cultural institution, and the nature of this ritual hasn't changed for some time, but the severity is now undeniable. Originally, it was like summer camp for the child — a sort of test of maturity. Now, the threat is no longer limited to acknowledgement, but survival…"

Hikaru felt the onset of moral indigestion. "… And it's your child's turn this year."

"Correct. Despite the progressive attitude towards the ritual, taking an active stand against it is basically career suicide as an educator in this village. My role is well defined, and I cannot step outside the curriculum the council desires."

"Those in power worry about the example you set, so you stay in your lane." The hair extensions shifted as his head lowered. "What's the new material?"

"I don't understand."

So Hikaru clarified. "You were born and raised here, but here you are acting like you're unaccustomed to the ritual. This village, so removed from the established districts, rarely sees ignorant blood. What brings you here in such a tizzy?'

Cups were set before them, and Hikaru did not miss the gleam in his drinking partner's eyes. "The tavern crowds this time of year not only in celebration, but in mourning."

"Mourning?"

In an understated flourish, practiced efficiency, the drink was gone. "There are two types of people here tonight. There are those celebrating the return, or mourning the lack thereof, of last month's batch, and those doing the same for this month's. The full moon is the domino that kicks off the ceremony. Visibility is key when entering children into a game of survival skills. As I mentioned, it was just that — a game. As starvation is usually a non-factor, the stakes were minimal. However, the quantity of souls that return has drastically decreased in recent years. Theories and rumors run amuck, but the council suppresses information that it deems harmful to its cause. Consequently, we are left without a voice; all the rabble can do is prepare the children."

Hikaru's eyes immediately widened, finally placing his interest in the man's facial feature. His guard rushed to the surface.

The man smirked. "Shinigami, I have willingly given you this information. I can only hope it finds its way to Niko."

"Niko?" Hikaru echoed.

"I'm sure you've noted my mark. It is traditional among families of the frontier to be marked according to their lineage. The mark you see is of a family prided upon reiatsu. Even among acknowledged noble families there's no guarantee…" The man trailed off. His fingers brushed against the ink in… shame? Embarrassment? Futility? Hikaru could not discern. "I'm a man of my word. Enjoy your drink, but please ruminate on what we've discussed."

He pushed his empty glass toward Hikaru. Placing his hands on the bar, he pushed against the support to stand. Before he wandered out of earshot, the man threw parting words over his shoulder. "Can't believe she gave you a blue scarf. Lavender would have really made your eyes pop. Don't have too much fun tonight."

"… I might have if you'd even bought me that drink."

Finally deciding to act on Hikaru's slightly shaken state, Ichigo, who had remained unusually quiet, stepped in. "You can't expect to walk away after all that."

"Are you threatening me, Shinigami?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed against the accusation. "I am not. However, giving into its own connotation, you've presented yourself as a material witness; please understand that you've dug your own grave."

"I can't argue with that. I'll leave my information."

"I don't trust you."

"You willing to take me in by force?"

It was at this point that Renji finally excavated himself from the surging bar crowd. Placing down the three drinks with a sigh, he accepted his fate and turned back towards the bar. "And so, our wolf pack grows."

- Change

A firm Ichigo, grumpy Renji, and relieved Hikaru recounted the events before an impatient Niko and Yuzuki.

"You mean he made Renji pay for all the drinks? Cheap bastard." Then she remembered herself. "I see, I'd lost track of time…" Niko mused nostalgically after the conclusion of their report.

"This is sufficient information to act upon. Let's return to camp. Excellent work you three. I'm pleased my plan worked."

"Dressing up was the last thing we needed to do."

"This time, you're carrying the bag, Kurosaki."

- Change

Ogidō rubbed his head as they finished explaining. Feeling the ramifications of their time at the outpost building steadily, the students were unsure what to make of their situation.

"This is something we'd like to see through to the end, Ogidō." Hikaru began

"Is there anything, as our sponsor, you can do?" Renji continued, his sarcasm trickled in.

Ogidō placed his hand to his chin, closing his eyes to ruminate on the subject. Those gathered looked at him with bated breath.

He continued to ruminate, his expression growing ever graver.

And then,

Poof*

"I've received permission for you three to stay the length of our team's mission."

Renji looked like he might strangle the man. "You knew about this but kept us all in the dark?"

"No, I'm an itako."

"…"

Niko sighed, beyond used to the antics. "He is a pain in the ass, but, unfortunately, it's also my responsibility to be aware of such a matter. This is an area I am familiar with, and vice-versa."

Ogidō nodded approvingly. "However, despite your wishes, neither you nor we will be staying here a month. We are not cleared for that. There will be a group coming to take over the remainder of the mission in a week's time."

A wave of Ogidō's hand silenced any objections. "Please understand, this is the most I could barter. The higher ups believe the chances for accident increase beyond suitable levels on missions longer than a week. The combined liabilities of the students and Rukia only raise their concerns. If you truly desire to 'see this through', I suggest we do so quickly."

Mashiro bubbled up. "I've got a plan right up Ogidō's alley!"

- Change

Ichigo sighed. "Why is hiding in a tree 'right up Ogidō's alley'?"

As he asked, a shrill whistle sounded. The disembodied echo reverberating ominously. The sound could be heard for miles.

Niko grinned coyly as a group of the village children rushed beneath the canopy. "Couldn't say, but stalking children is certainly 'right up Ogidō's alley'."

Ogidō poked his head down from a higher branch. "Does oxygen ever survive the trip to your brain?"

With the area now clear of plot fodder, Niko spoke up. "We've got 22 children this month that have been released from the village in cardinal directions: two groups of five and two groups of six. Fortunately, the students, plus testicle tongue, give us enough to make this work. We break up into four groups. Ogidō takes Kurosaki to track the north group. I will take Kurami west. Mashiro and Rukia will go south. Yuzuki takes Abarai east."

The pairs nodded.

"Do not interfere with the ceremony unless it falls within your duty as a Soul Reaper. I'm trusting your judgement. We're here only to understand the dynamics. This is a common tradition among these villages, and we are not signing up for a monthly subscription to police each one. Also," her voice softened, "be careful, and good luck."

Acknowledging their dismissal, the groups split.

A/N:

Heyyy side note. Just started reading CFYOW. Seems good. Our boy Ogidō is in it! He's a little different than my plan for his character — at the very least, he's more eloquent. At least he still seems vain and a bit self-centered, so I can continue to rock with that. I'll try and make him true to his CFYOW characterization — before I was literally just going off the blurb at the end of one of the Soul Society manga chapters — but I do plan on giving him a backstory of my liking. Will try and fit it in with Kubo's & Narita's vision for the character.

(For your Sake, A Beautiful Map)

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... North ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... O&I (N) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

West ... ... ... ... ... ... N&H (W) ... ... ... ... Glum Village ... ... ... ... H&R (E) ... ... ... ... ... ... East

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... "No writing on the maps." ... ... .. I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... - Nishimura ... ... ... K&R (S) (\_/) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... - Hikaru ... ... ... I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

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